Activities

You can see the fish from the shore. Birds are chirping. A group of deer vanishes silently into the thicket. The Ostallgäu region is rich in natural lakes that invite you to take a stroll, go for a swim, or simply daydream on their green shores.

From Marktoberdorf, for example, the Forggensee is accessible to active cyclists, as is the Elbsee, nestled in an almost Nordic landscape. The Kuhstallweiher and Ettwieser Weiher are natural beauties right on your doorstep—and multifunctional to boot.

The nameless natural pond in the Gwend district—lined with reeds and surrounded by houses—is the nursery for the swans, which are then led by their parents through the Ettwieser Bach for nearly three kilometers to the Ettwieser Weiher. It must seem like an ocean to them. Their swan lake, spanning nearly five hectares. 

How wonderful it is on an early, still-cool midsummer morning to tiptoe barefoot across the dew-damp meadow to the dock and plunge into the cool water, swimming out, far away from bike racks, kiosks, and free parking lots, in calm, powerful strokes toward the quiet, unspoiled, specially protected sections of the shore, behind which the high forest sways and the trees dance.

The Ettwieser Weiher is just a short bike ride or walk away. The terms “suburban recreation” or “local recreation” couldn’t be more apt. The locals love their “Ette.” Sunbathing areas invite you to linger, and the shallow shoreline and designated non-swimmer zones make the lake—which is up to four meters deep—accessible even to young swimmers. To warm up, they run around with blue lips at the children’s playground.

In the evening or on weekends, the barbecue area is a popular spot for grilling sausages or steaks you’ve brought along. A permit is required to use the barbecue area, which must be applied for at the Marktoberdorf City Service Center. The appropriate beverages are available at the kiosk at reasonable prices. And—as befits an EU-certified swimming lake—the city provides changing rooms and accessible restroom facilities. And all this with free admission!

Pilgrims on the Way of St. James rest at Ettwieser Weiher, just below the “Kindle Pilgrimage Chapel”; joggers on their route through Ettwiesen toward Fechsen; and climbers after their excursions to dizzying heights: “Klette am Ette” is the name of the trendy spot, the forest rope course newly established in 2015.

From “easy” to “heavy,” thrill-seekers of all ages can tackle nine courses of varying difficulty, winding their way through the trees’ tangled branches and up into the canopy. You start on the ground and work your way up to heights of up to twelve meters above the ground. It’s quite safe. And certainly enjoyable: with a redundant carabiner system, which is explained in detail to beginners before they start.

In winter, it’s quiet at Ettwieser Weiher; the lake is frozen over.  Horses stand still like sculptures in the nearby paddock. Walkers with and without dogs meet at the turnstile for a chat. Before they hike back from Ettwieser Weiher to Marktoberdorf. In the last light of the late afternoon, St. Martin’s Church glows.